Sounds Of The Hell Hounds At MTX 2-20
by U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jacqueline Parsons March 25,
2020
It was a cloudy afternoon, but the sun still reflected off the
snow-capped mountains giving 1st Lt. Elaine Lewis, battalion
adjutant with Headquarters and Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th
Marine Regiment (V36), 2d Marine Division (2d MARDIV), light to
check her roster for accountability. Personnel, packs, weapons, and
motor transportation assets all had to be verified and transmitted
back to the command and control center.
3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment (V36) had been at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare
Training Center (MCMWTC) in Bridgeport, California for almost a
month. They grew used to the thick, bright snow, bone-chilling wind,
and constant need to change socks. One constant they could not
become complacent with was the radio static. Radios must be watched
nonstop; communication must stay consistent and fluid up and down
the mountain.
 February 11, 2020 - U.S. Marines with 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment (V36), 2d Marine Division test communications abilities at the beginning of a field operation at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, California. V36 utilized a small, forward mobile command and control element to maintain close communications with the infantry platoons while they conducted Mountain Exercise 2-20. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jacqueline Parsons)
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The second field operation of Mountain Exercise (MTX)
2-20 provided the most realistic training of the exercise. The line
companies of V36 broke into individual platoons to go out, conduct
reconnaissance operations, and maintain defensive positions
throughout the mountains of Bridgeport. The opposing force, India
and Lima Company of 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment (V38), 2d
MARDIV, also conducted reconnaissance operations and offensive
operations. V36 and V38 stayed out for three days and two nights,
and slept in dug-out trenches and four-person tents. They survived
off of their daily rations of cold-weather meals, ready to eat.
Headquarters and Service Company with V36 tracked the companies’
actions with a forward mobile command and control center situated
close to the Marines without interfering with the training. Setting
up communications equipment proved difficult, but the Marines used
the trees and rocks to their advantage. 550 cord kept equipment tied
down and held wires taut for better reception. While maintaining
radio contact is vital to any field operation, the mountains
presented another obstacle for the Marines to conquer.
“Communication operations are always the biggest issue with anyone,”
said GySgt James Watson, the assistant operations chief with
Headquarters and Service Company, V36, 2d MARDIV. “We always have to
ask ourselves, ‘how do we get communications and maintain it no
matter where we are?’ We are always trying to push the most reliable
source whether that’s satellite, HF (High Frequency), or VHF (Very
High Frequency) communications.”
V36 has been experimenting
with different command and control variants throughout MTX 2-20,
commonly referred to as main, forward, and jump techniques. By using
these different techniques, they can bring the main hub for
communication and oversight closer to the center of the effort. They
started early, experimenting during the mobility phase and increased
their decentralization through the company attacks, and employed
similar structures during the final exercise.
Headquarters
and Service Company pushed the command and control center deep into
the mountain, embedding themselves to within hiking distances of all
the companies. Radio connectivity was operational and constant.
Despite this, the battalion largely practiced a decentralized
approach to the field operation. The command of V36 took the
opportunity to improve the battalion’s decentralized and small-unit
leadership.
“Prior to execution, the mountainous terrain
forces commanders to provide the level of guidance that is required
in a communications degraded environment, and ensure that they have
trust in that subordinate to carry out the mission,” said Chief
Warrant Officer 2 Christopher Latham, battalion gunner with V36, 2d
MARDIV.
As platoons maneuvered through the terrain,
Headquarters and Service Company tracked their movements, personnel
and logistic statistics, and any casualties. Radio operators
communicated the information as it occurred to keep the command
center as up to date as possible. V36 upholds their efficiency in
radio communications through maintaining standards in radio
etiquette and procedures.
 February 11, 2020 - U.S. Marines with 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment (V36), 2d Marine Division transmit enemy contact information during a platoon attack scenario at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, California. V36 utilized a forward mobile command and control element to maintain close communications with the infantry platoons while they conducted Mountain Exercise 2-20. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jacqueline Parsons)
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Through the utilization of a
dispersed leadership style with steady radio contact between the
command and control center, V36 trained to be capable of warfighting
excellence with any level of communication ability. U.S. Marines are
known for their ability to execute effective small-unit leadership;
it is a quality that separates them from other military services.
Every Marine is trained to be leader with a warrior ethos.
“In the long term, the plan is to give company commanders, who will
in turn give platoon commanders, more levity in the left and right
lateral limits,” said Latham. “We will provide them the boundaries
and mission and then just say ... alright leader, I’ll see you
at the end, but this is what I expect to be done.”
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